The only real link for the New Orleans Saints to be on a Downtown LA
centric blog is that the franchise is one of a few mentioned to be considered
as the next NFL team for Los Angeles. Or that USC's Reggie Bush has had some
decent games in his first year as a "official" pro playing for the Saints. Even as its about
a community fighting back, lets consider it an off topic day.

The Saints returns home before most of it's population does and the NFL
scheduled the Saints home opener against regional rival Atlanta for Monday
Night football. Both are 2-0 coming in and the Saints are seen as an underdog.

Underdog means more here. A city was wiped out by a Hurricane Katrina and
Hurricane FEMA are using this game to show everyone they have solid footing
to begin a long walk to bring back New Orleans to its former self. U2, the
band of social causes is playing. Tailgating parties have been in full force
since the weekend. So here's a link from the brethren of Metroblogging
LA,
Craig Giesecke at Metroblogging New Orleans. I like the Falcons,
but today the Saints are the home team.

Today's weather is gorgeous -- ideal for what's turning out to
be a day-long celebration of the reopening of the Superdome. It's a bit like
a mini-Mardi Gras, with city offices closing early and so much anticipation
of tonight's football game against division rival Atlanta. It seems as if
half the folks I've seen out and about today are wearing some kind of Saints
gear, and whole city is focused big-time on what's happening inside the dome
starting at 7:30pm. Win or lose, getting the dome back in operation is extremely
symbolic. I think the only thing that will be equally symbolic of New Orleans'
rebirth will be when the streetcars start running on St. Charles once again.

<snip>

Oh, and the tailgating cranked up about 7 this morning. But this ain't about
football, babygirl. It's about a huge, giant monster step on The Road Back.
It's a glorious goddamn day to be a New Orleanian.

The nine-minute pregame performance by U2 and Green Day will mark the
first collaborative effort with the bands. Their remake of "The Saints Are
Coming," which was originally produced by Scottish punk band "The Skids,"
will highlight the four-song set. Fans will be able to buy a download of the
performance at www.rhapsody.com. All net proceeds will benefit Music Rising,
a charity being promoted by U2 guitar player The Edge that benefits Gulf Coast
musicians affected by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita.

This is the man who, a year ago, chased to Memphis, Tenn., by Hurricane
Katrina, looked on in horror at the scenes, inside and outside, the giant
mushroom on Poydras Street.

"You bet I cried," he said. "The Superdome had become the symbol of
a city's nightmare, all those people begging for help. But you know what?
As awful as those scenes were, I'm sure the Superdome saved some lives, just
by affording shelter when the city was swimming."

Go Saints.
Pictured: Reggie Bush as a Saint signing a USC jersey.

Added: Think a city's spirits can't be raised by mere sports? As
I write this the Dodgers games from yesterday is being replayed.

The Transformers
movie being directed by Michael Bay has been filming on Broadway for the
last few weekends –– as seen here,
here,
and here.
Filming took to the air Sunday as three Army Blackhawks circled over the Historic Core all afternoon. Two for show.
One for filming. More pics at the flickr set.

Added: Eric has shots of the ground and eecu links video
to furbys
flying. Ground to Air Coverage from your Downtown sphere carriers.

They were out and around Sunday. In Skid Row, teamed officers were seen introducing
themselves to residents sitting in front of SROs, speaking to homeless, some
with citation books at the ready. Here at 5th and Main, the streets were quieter
than usual, except for a helicopter filming over Broadway.

Earlier Don Garza catches the moment when Activist Alice Callahan was told she was not invited to the
Press
Conference.

A special unit of approximately 50 foot-patrol officers is expected
to hit the streets this week, giving the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD)
a comprehensive street-level presence in an area ranging from the Civic
Center to the Fashion District, and from the Jewelry District to the Arts
District.

The foot-patrol officers are all veterans, and they come in addition
to the current LAPD personnel assigned to the Central Area station, which
covers most of Downtown from its headquarters at 6th and Wall streets. They
have all received 30 hours of special training for dealing with unique circumstances
often in play on Downtown’s streets, including encounters with mentally ill
individuals, according to LAPD officials.

jumping ahead

The new unit marks a first significant step toward applying the famed
“Broken Windows” theory of policing to the streets of Downtown. The theory
contends that a consistent focus on many smaller, “quality-of-life” crimes—ranging
from street-level drug sales to graffiti—can help restore an atmosphere of
safety and lead to greater gains.